


invisible string

by birdsofrobbie



Series: folklore/evermore inspired harlivy [2]
Category: Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (2020), DCU, DCU (Comics), Harley Quinn (Comics), Poison Ivy (Comics)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Margot Robbie - Freeform, Smut, based on folklore by taylor swift, invisible string by taylor swift, mentions of cheating, mentions of domestic abuse/violence, oo mama, pretty heavy sexual undertones in here, stripper pam, the thing with the joker is in the past, there might be smut, there most defintely is smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-03
Updated: 2020-11-17
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:09:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 20,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25684066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/birdsofrobbie/pseuds/birdsofrobbie
Summary: Harley finds herself running into an old "friend." Said friend has changed over the years since she last saw her, very drastically.or, Harley and Pam find their closure, and perhaps more, after 3 years have gone by.(based on invisible string - taylor swift)
Relationships: Harley Quinn/Joker, Pamela Isley & Harleen Quinzel, Pamela Isley/Harleen Quinzel, Poison Ivy/Harley Quinn
Series: folklore/evermore inspired harlivy [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1857364
Comments: 42
Kudos: 181





	1. out of all the wrong arms, right into that dive bar

**Author's Note:**

> hi, it's me, just putting out some more harlivy/folklore content. be warned it gets pretty steamy in this chapter i basically wrote it while i was drooling. and if you don't respect sex-workers I'll break your kneecaps <3

“I swear to God if one more person steps on my foot again, or shoves me, I’m going to lose my mind,” Pam grumbled, sinking into the stool with a heavy huff. 

Next to her, Harley chuckles and shoves her playfully as the bass throbbed against their bodies.  
“Lighten up, Pammy. We’re havin’ fun in here, fun’s always loose and there’s bound to be some jostlin’.” The blonde was smiling cheerfully, causing the glitter on her face to absorb and then reflect the small strobe lights running around the room. Harley was always like her own light source wherever she went.

“Drink up babes, we gotta’ lot of ground to cover!” Harley said, handing over a shot to Pamela. 

The redhead grimaced and scowled at Harley, “Really? You know we’re going into hangover territory.” 

Harley quickly downed her shot and moved her hand to quickly slap Pam’s behind cheekily, causing a complimentary blush to fill her face. 

“And that’s how ya’ know you had a really fun night, c’mon!” 

Harley was unmanageable in her drunken state and quickly moved out of the barstool towards the group of dancing people. Pam shook her head, realising that she’s going to have to keep drinking to keep up with her. 

She, too, downed her shot and left her spot, joining her pale friend on the dancefloor. Tipsy Pamela started to not care about the sweat and strangers body parts rubbing against hers.  
Especially if said body parts were Harley’s. 

***

_Five Years Later_

Harley hated her birthday, very uncharacteristically. For the past few years, she didn’t celebrate her birthday as she used to, so naturally, she grew to hate it. On her twenty-fifth birthday, she was too busy scrambling to obtain her PhD. On her twenty-sixth, she was already working in Arkham Asylum. But after she met Jack Napier, she lost three years of her life to him. After they had broken up, she vowed to reinvent herself, to strip herself of his name and influence forever. But birthdays were still hard. 

Harley _did_ love to party though, and with partying came drinking and bad decisions. Not unusual from her normal routine.  
Dinah, Helena and Renee did not strike her as the partying type and they were not, especially the ex-cop. Alas, they decided to put aside their indifference and take Harley to a sophisticated strip club on the east end. This one was new, just having opened up a month ago and if she had not been so hopelessly busy with her job, she would be fully acquainted with the joint. 

It was just as seedy as one might imagine but for some reason, it attracted a lot of business from some higher-end people. That night was liquor-filled and smelt of sweat and Harley loved it. She couldn’t thank the group of women enough for their efforts in making her forget it’s her birthday and focus on drinking her life away. (Intended to sound happier than it reads)

The strobe lights were hitting her in a particularly flattering away and she was absorbing alcohol at a rapid, but not unusual rate. Helena and Dinah were letting loose too, allowing themselves to receive unsuspected lapdances (organised by Harley) and enjoy them too. Renee was indifferent, opting to scowl and respectfully decline the various dances from the women. 

It was when Harley was particularly feeling gone that the lights dimmed a significant amount, drawing everyone’s focus to the main stage. Everyone became uncharacteristically silent for a strip club and then sound filled the room, bringing with it chills and airiness. Then an inviting giggle ricocheted throughout the room, not too girly and shrill but just the right amount of sensual dripping to bring everyone to their knees. From the very first second, the performance had captivated everyone in the establishment and sent a thrill through her spine.

A deep, sensual red light filtered through the crowd, coating the stage as Harley spotted a figure slip out of the curtains. The bass swelled and the melody was something she immediately recognised. Harley didn’t know why but she gulped, suddenly feeling weirdly aware for someone who was six shots into the night. 

***

As the light neutralised, Pam took a deep breath as she escaped into her act. She sauntered out on stage, placing her hands on the golden pole meant for her and only her. When she first arrived at the club she quickly built up a reputation for bringing in people and their money. She had a way in which she held the crowd and coaxed their wallets out of their pockets, leaving them wanting more each time, that the owner could not pinpoint. 

God if younger Pam could see her right now, dancing seductively for the pleasure of others, _and enjoying it_. Slowly peeling off her already scarce outfit, _and relishing in it._

Running her hands through her hair and dropping to her knees slowly, she focused on an older man near the front of the stage. Once her victim was picked and she saw a gold watch flash from behind the sleeve of his suit, she crawled over, moving like a seductive tigress. 

Placing a finger underneath his chin and lifting it so his eyes looked directly into hers. His eyes were blown wide, like a schoolboy who had just gotten her attention. She gave a sultry smile then moved closer, readjusting herself swiftly to straddle his lap. His cologne was overpowering and masculine to a point of cringing, but she pushed through. 

She hummed slightly, making it a point to grind into him slowly and lightly. His hands came up her thighs to touch her at her ass but she quickly caught them, wringing them like a wet cloth and placing them against his seat. He groaned in pain as she giggled, again with a deep, plunging desire. 

“Didn't you read the sign, handsome?” Her tongue darted out to lick a tiny stripe on his cheek. Something Pamela would never do. But something Poison Ivy would adore to take part in.

“Poison Ivy, get back on the stage!” Doc appeared, storming through the crowd with a businessman’s readiness. 

She sighed, getting off the man with slightly injured wrists. Doc was a good man, but he was growing tired of watching his clients leave with injuries that would take weeks to heal. Luckily enough, none of them thought to press charges against her or the establishment. But one day they might not be so lucky. 

“Don't worry, Doc. I’ll get you your 10% tonight.” Pam said, winking at her employer before sitting on the edge of the stage and swinging her legs to get herself back up. 

The crowd, still watching her, was eager for her to pick out her next suitor. She, once again, sauntered towards the pole and opted towards a more alluring performance. 

*** 

If Harley had a drink in her hand then the glass would be shattered and on the floor, and her hands sticky. She tried to focus and refocus her pupils, refusing to accept what they presented to her. But denial would do her no good here. 

The last time she saw Pamela was three years ago, in her bedroom. Flashes of screaming and crying ran through her mind and culminated into a beating heart. Maybe it was the alcohol too. Maybe it was the fact that Pamela was scantily clad in dark-green lingerie. Maybe it was because she wasn't Pamela Isley anymore, the girl who hated the roaring energy of clubs. She was identifying as Poison Ivy now. Wearing red lipstick with just enough cloth to cover her erogenous areas and leaving barely anything to the imagination. That wasn't Pamela. 

_Nonsense._ Harley shook her head. There was no way in high heaven or hell that Pamela would be _here_ of all places. Not in this strip club. On Harley’s birthday. 

She wanted to shrink down into her seat and absolve herself of any living entity. She wanted to jump up and scream and wave her hands around haphazardly, hoping that Pam would notice her and run to her like a scene out of a movie. She was hoping there was some long-winded explanation as to why Pamela was here, in the shady side of Gotham. Hope was going to get her far in terms of what happened next. 

*** 

After Pamela swing around a couple of times and bent down to reveal her thong-clad backside some more, she scanned the room to pick on her next suitor. She would usually pick someone from the front first, then move her way back to the stage and take off an article of clothing, before going to the back. The back was one of the best spots to pick an unsuspecting person from. They're usually the married men, who don't want to be there but are there anyway. The ones who are stoic enough with their scotch but soft enough to let her do as she pleases when she perches herself on their laps. 

She scoured, making sure her movements read as calculating and ferocious. That they are lucky if she picked them, not the other way around. 

She caught the sight of pale skin and blue eyes, blonde hair as electric as it was three years ago. Her facade faltered, and only for a second, she wobbled in her heels. Refocusing, she licked her lips slightly and made her way over. 

She wanted to quiet her suspicion. It was just a normal unsuspecting white woman who was brought here for some pleasurable reason. Probably brought here by friends for a bachelorette party. Probably nobody. There is no way in high- 

“Oh my God.” 

There it was. The confirmation that she was dreading. _Fucksake Isley, why did this have to happen? Shit, shit, shit._

There were the blue eyes that she remembered being filled with tears years ago. There they were staring right at her while she was clad in lingerie, dancing at a strip club. 

Doc would have her head blown off if she stood still for any longer so Pam did what she lacked the confidence to do in front of Harley before. 

She continued to walk towards her, making a show of picking her out of the crowd like a hungry baby bird. She chose Harley and seduced her way onto her lap. She felt her cold, fleshy thighs meet hers as she straddled her, placing a finger against her lips. If she had the opportunity to linger on things such as analysing she would swear that they were both trembling. 

For a split second, she thought of the last time they had seen each other, and for only a little more than a split second she felt the emotions wash over her once again. The anger, the pain, the love, the manipulation. Everything hitting her as it did three years ago. So she cranked up her facade, revving her engine to show Harley just how wrong it was to show her face in her club after all these years. 

She breathed out as she took Harley’s face in her hands, holding her tightly by her jaw, making sure her nails dug slightly into the skin. She ground onto her, roughly, making sure that her breasts scraped by Harley’s chest and her ass made its presence known on Harley’s lap. 

She sighed out in frustration when she realised that Harley would not touch her without consent like the other men do (obviously, she was thankful, but at that moment she wanted Harley’s hands on her skin)

She took matters into her own hands and grabbed Harley’s cold, but sweaty, hands in hers, looking into her eyes while she moved them up her body from her upper thighs to her waist, making them rest just under her ribcage. In the cold distance, that was a few feet, she could hear a few men groaning and whistling. 

“Hello… Puddin’.” Pam said, taking Harley’s hand’s and guiding them to the swell of her ass and she felt Harley take a deep breath and both the words falling out of Pam’s mouth and the feel of her soft skin. The words burnt against Harley’s skin and her eyes flickered slightly, almost like a flashlight trying to communicate with her from a distance. Pamela smiled, she had her speechless, finally. For the first time, after a long time. 

She leaned in closer, whispering into Harley’s ear, “keep your hands on me, little flower,” and squeezed Harley’s hands into the expanse of her behind. She then licked a sensual, slow stripe against her earlobe, revelling in the sound Harley had made in response. 

She reached behind her back, while still grinding into Harley’s lap and smiling as she felt Harley’s nails against her. She slowly undid the long clasp that kept her racy lingerie top in place and dragged the fabric down as it flicked against her nipples. The men around them were practically howling and whistling at the show. 

“Tell me, why you’re here Harleen?” Pamela said, throwing the green bra aside and whipping her head back to let her red hair flow behind her like a dark, swirling fire. She got off Harley’s lap, moving the pale hands from her thighs back to their free reign. 

She swiftly made her way around to the back of the chair, making sure to drag her fingernails up Harley’s bare arms and snake up to her shoulders, knowing the effect it would have on her. Harley struggled to get out her answer. 

“I...I-um…” Harley faltered, sucking in and swallowing when Pam turned her head to face her and her breasts in their full glory. 

“Hmm?” Pamela hummed, stroking back the blonde soft hair as she felt warmth from Harley’s cheekbone against her chest. She was coaxing her and teasing Harley and the manipulation felt so good on her skin that her moral compass was nearly broken and swirling. 

“It’s my birthday.” Harley squeaked out finally and that caused Pam to swiftly turn the chair to face her, surprising the blonde with her strength. 

“Is that so?” she asked faux innocently as she settled herself on Harley’s lap once again, throwing her arms over either side of Harley’s neck to meet each other at the back of the chair.  
She ground hard on Harley’s thigh once again. 

“Birthday girls should get a special treat then…” she whispered, daring her voice to drop deeper as pushed her hot breath on Harley’s jaw. 

Just as quickly as it happened, she pulled herself off and strolled away with a sashay in her hips as her bareback faced a dumbstruck Harley. It was only when she was near the backstage entrance did she turn her head slightly, letting the low light catch her for a brief moment. 

She winked, then slinked back, like she was never there at all. Except, she clearly was because she left Harley and an entire room panting and reeling. 

***

“You wasted all your time on that blonde and didn’t even take any money from her!” Doc shouted, waving his hands around frantically. 

Pam was in front of her mirror, working on pulling off her lash from her eyes, trying not to roll her eyes at the man. 

“Relax, if she’s still anything like she was when we were younger, I’ll get her to pay. And if that doesn’t happen, you can take it from my cut.” Pam said, putting down the stray lashes and looking towards her stressed boss. 

“I’m your best girl, right Doc?” Pam said, sweetly wrapping her arm around his shoulders and kissing his cheek. 

He was about to retort when they heard a small knock against her dressing room door, which led Pamela to wink in his direction. 

“See? You have to trust me…” Pam said, moving towards the door.  
She was fully prepared to see Harley standing before her, a mess, just like she had left her. But she was not prepared to see three other women with her, standing behind her with their arms crossed. She would have been intimidated if not for Doc’s voice. 

“Ah!” He clapped his hands together and smiled, “remember the usual rate. Per person! And no discounts because she’s your friend.” Doc said, swivelling out of the room in a state of relief. 

Dinah scoffed, watching the man walk away. “Please don’t tell me-” 

“Come inside.” Pam cut her off and walked back inside her room to sit down at her dresser. 

They all looked to each other apprehensively, before nudging themselves into space. 

The redhead was wearing a regular, pink robe around her and for a moment Harley wondered if she was still wearing her show outfit. The wondering turned into an awkward silence as Pamela wiped off her red lipstick with a tissue and sighed. 

“Birthday girl, are you gonna’ speak or am I gonna’ have to make you?” Pamela asked, not paying any attention to the four women behind her. 

That’s when Harley snapped. 

“Are you fucking kidding me, Pamela?” Her voice, for the first time that night, was finally sure of itself and powerful. Pamela would’ve smirked if the force didn’t startle her. 

“We haven’t seen each other for fucking _years?_ and _that’s_ how you greet me?!” Due to Harley’s pale complexion, it was easy to tell when she was getting angry. Her ears would turn red first and a fuming blush would follow, and then her chest would flare up in red. 

Harley’s skin was nearly as red as Pam’s hair and took everyone in the room by surprise. 

“You think you can just flash me your tits on my fucking birthday, after three years and think that I’ll forgive you for leaving?!” 

That activated Pam’s anger. 

“I’m sorry…? You forgive me? Are you forgetting about the fact that _you’re_ the one who told me to leave?!” Pam now closed the distance between them, letting her make up wipe fall off the dresser. 

Helena chose to intervene before claws poked out and all that was left of the pair was red and blonde hair. 

“Okay, ladies… I’m not sure what the hell is happening here but I know you two don’t wanna’ end up tearing each other apart tonight…” Helena pushed them apart from each other. 

Renee sighed, “God… why did I agree to this? She can’t have one normal night, can she?” 

“And who the fuck are these people? Do you even want me to-” 

_“No I don’t want you to give us lap dances, for fuck’s sake, Pam.”_ Harley said exasperatedly, choosing to sit down in Pam’s chair that had her old garment from the show draped over the back. 

“Sorry… I just have to check becau-” 

“How are you even here? You hated places like this. And you certainly hated not being modest and-” 

“ _Hated._ Past tense, Harls…” Pam moved to rummage through a backpack that was laying in the corner and pulled out a white t-shirt, a pair of black ripped jeans and a leather jacket. 

“You’re not even gonna’ introduce me?” Pam asked, gesturing to Dinah who was standing against the closed door with her arms crossed. 

Harley sighed again, something she figured she should get used to again, “right… that’s Dinah. That’s Helena and that’s Renee. They’re all my friends.” Harley explained, pointing to the respective parties.

“Some of us more willingly than others,” Renee clarified in a thick New York accent. 

Pam studied them for a second, taking extra time looking at Dinah, who looked particularly appealing to Poison Ivy. Perhaps a lap dance for her would suffice.

“...And Selina?” Pam inquired, looking towards Harley again. 

She noticed her frame grew slightly more rigid, realising how every memory of before effected her even after three years. 

“Still in London.” 

“Is she still with that tall, dark and handsome guy?” The redhead poked more, crossing her arms now and ignoring the fact that her robe was opening slightly.  
Harley nodded, shifting in the chair uncomfortably, “They got married.” 

The green eyes that were studying Harleen like a specimen narrowed, “and are you still with…?” 

“Broke up. A year ago.” Harley’s words were clipped and short like her hair. 

“Thank God… took you long enough…” Pamela said, brushing it off and beginning to walk back towards her folding screen. 

Her silhouette could be seen through the screen and the group listened as she talked through changing her clothes. 

“I invited you back here because I thought I could get some money… I owe Doc about three hundred dollars.” She paused to return from behind the screen, carrying her panties and robe in her hand. Looks like she was wearing the bare minimum under that robe after all. 

“But since you’re here to talk and not do the kind of rekindling I was hoping for…” Pam then gestured to the door, raising her eyebrow towards it. 

_Ouch._

“Alright… we’ll get outta’ your hair then…” Renee said, pulling Dinah and Helena to the door, desperately wanting this to be over. 

Harley stayed put, taking her turn to study Pam. Same smile, same lips, same fiery red hair. Except everything was more pronounced, deliberate and free. Whatever sexual awakening Pamela went through really did change her and Harley was undecided on whether or not it was good or bad. 

As Harley finally got up from her chair, she reached into her back pocket and pulled up her jeans. Something she did from the time she was a teen, more of a nervous tick than it was for adjustment. Before she followed her friends out she came close to Pamela once again, taking in her scent of Rosemary. Strangely calming. There it was. The signal that she was still her shy, docile Pammy. 

“Nice seeing ya’, Red.” Harley’s hand found Pam’s shaking it roughly before leaving. 

When Pam looked after their figures disappeared, she noticed a feeling in her hand. When she looked towards it she spotted four hundred dollars, laying in her hand, slightly crumpled from the handshake. She raised her eyebrow and hummed in satisfaction before she closed her dressing room door.


	2. green was the colour of the grass

_Five Years Ago_

The three of them decided, (more like Harley decided the others were just dragged along), that they were going to have a picnic at the nearby Gotham Botanical Gardens. Pam was delighted to overlook the beautiful flora as they enjoyed a picnic lunch in the sun.

Harley joked about how Pam laid out in the sun, absorbing it more than the plants would and that she should leave some sun for them. It earned her a playful shove from the redhead and a chuckle from Selina. 

“So… how’s that guy you’ve been sinking your claws into?” Pamela asked, turning onto her side and propping her head upon her elbow. Her sundress was tucked in between her legs and she was thankful that there was no wind. 

“Bruce… and I’m not sinking anything into him!” Selina deadpanned, scowling at Pamela momentarily. She was wearing normal blue jeans with a black fitted top to match her ‘IDGAF aesthetic.’

“I heard he’s really good in bed…” Harley said, raising her eyebrows as she drank from her mimosa glass. 

Selina’s eyes widened, “from who?” 

“From you!” Harley said, laughing. 

They would laugh together like that, the three of them being inseparable. Taking playful jabs at one another in broad daylight while they sip at cheaply made mimosas was a favourite pastime for the trio. 

“So what’s with this Jack guy?” Selina asked, drinking her last of the brightly coloured liquid. 

“He’s okay. I mean, he’s cute and he’s pretty weird but he has strange and unconventional ways of showing me he likes me. And I think I like it.” 

Pam could tell Harley was beaming more than the sun shone down on them and it inspired a sour, warm feeling inside of her stomach. She reckoned it was just the mimosas making their way through her system. 

“And you, Pammy?” Selina asked, breaking her out of her temporary daze. 

Pamela shook her head, “Nope. No one for me, yet.”   
“Not even that cute girl from the party?” Harley frowned, feeling worried about her best friend’s love life. 

Pam shook her head. Somehow, not having someone to date rarely bothered her. Nothing really bothered her in general. If it weren’t for Selina and Harley, she’d be so unbothered that she would cut herself off from everything and everyone. 

***

_Five Years Later_

Harley had a pounding headache that she pressed through with a good amount of Aspirin and, admittedly, some more alcohol. Her hangovers were usually manageable and safe enough for her to keep working throughout the day. 

What had made that day’s headache, the day after her 30th birthday, so unbearable was the lingering image of her least favourite redhead and her breasts. It didn’t help that her work involved children and having one hundred percent of her energy focused on aiding them. The number of times her mind had wandered to the redhead from last night brought her shame. It drove her to the point of calling the only person who could possibly understand on her lunch break. 

“What’s up, Buttercup?” Selina answered the phone with her usual deep-toned voice.

“Are you busy?” Harley asked, keeping an eye out for people who may walk in front of her office and linger by her door. 

“Nope, five hours ahead babe,” Harley looked to her computer, which read 12:45 pm. 

“What’s up?” Selina hated idle chit chat, especially over the phone. 

“Well, last night-” 

“Did you finally go to that strip club? I saw Dinah’s Instagram story, and it looked so seedy I’m so annoyed that I missed it.” Selena interrupted, droning on about missing out on the fun and inadvertently complaining about the blandness of London. 

“Yeah, yeah I wish you there too, but I met someone there and you’ll never believe who.” 

“Did you hook up with a stripper, Quinzel?” Harley could hear Selina’s disappointment from the other side. 

“No, I didn’t. But I met one of them and guess who it was!” 

“Harley I’d rather you tell me-” 

“It was Pam!” 

A long silence occurred, followed by slight coughing. 

“Wait… what? Explain.” 

Harley propped her foot up on her desk as she explained, “Well, I was just in the crowd and she gets on stage and they introduce her as some Poison Ivy thing and she _comes over_ to me, all sexy and sultry, and gives me a _lap dance!_ ” 

“...Was it good?” 

Harley groaned, “Selina, focus! This is Pam! She took off her top and threw it aside like it was nothing! This is the same Pam that couldn’t flirt with a rock if it threw itself at her.” 

Selina chuckled on the other end, “Harls, are you sure it was her?” 

“Um...yeah! I went to go see her backstage and she was completely different. I mean… the same… but different.” 

“It’s been three years, there’s bound to be some character development there.” 

“But… Why come back to Gotham? Why be a stripper of all things? Isn’t she a qualified botanist?” 

“Are you trying to shame sex workers?” 

“No! That’s not what I meant… it just doesn’t seem like Pam.” 

“That Pam that you knew then, and the Pam that you met last night are very likely to be very different people.” Selina repeated calmly, busying herself with something in the background. She was clearly not too phased by Pamela’s sudden reappearance. 

Harley sighed, sinking into her chair. 

“She didn’t even apologise. Acted as if nothing happened.” 

“Did you?” 

Harley groaned, checking her computer again. 

“I hate you.” She realised what she had to do. 

“Love you too, lemme’ know how it goes.” 

Harley hung up, sighing as she collected herself to welcome the next patient in a few minutes. 

***

Going to a strip club at 4 pm is quite… sad. If anything, it is nearly the same as going to the after-party the day after. Harley spotted a few men cleaning the floors, bartenders washing and drying certain glasses. 

She felt out of place and too cheery for the energy and immediately regretted finding her way back there. Nevertheless, she pursued. 

She recounted her steps, slipping into the backstage area where she hoped to find Pamela. She noticed things that she never noticed the night before. Like the small paint chips in the walls, the remnants of past posters still stuck on the corridor. The small neon sign that read: _Poison Ivy_ on her door. Of course, in green. 

She prepared herself to knock, already clenching her knuckles when the door swung open. Pamela’s eyes widened, clearly not prepared to see Harley outside her dressing room door. 

“Hey… sorry I was about to knock…” Harley began to explain herself but was distracted upon further inspection of Pamela’s outfit. She was wearing a red leather corset this time, holding her boobs up to the heavens. She had a sheer throw over on her shoulders and her face was halfway done. 

Pam smirked, noticing Harley’s obvious derailment. 

“Come inside…” Pamela moved away from the door, plopping down into her chair again.

“So to what do I owe this pleasure?” She carried on, not minding the presence of Harley floating around in the background as she applied her concealer.

Harley was not used to the dominance that Pam had over every one of the two conversations that they had with each other. It did not make sense for Pamela to be that… forward. And the worst part? She didn’t seem to even care in the slightest. She had to get her bearings and make things right. 

“Are you kidding me?” Harley was suddenly beside her and she had picked the beauty blender out from Pam’s hand. If beauty blenders could explode, it would have from the amount of pressure Harley was putting on it. 

“You owe me a few explanations.” 

Pamela raised her eyebrow, “Oh, I _owe_ them to you?” 

“Yes. You do. When you flash me your tits and dance on me like _that_ you’re bound to arouse some suspicion in an old friend..” 

Pamela sighed, obliging as she crossed her arms and faced Harleen in her chair. 

“Why are you back in Gotham?” Harley unclenched her hand and let the beauty blender fall to the counter. 

Pam paused a little then responded, “I had some things to take care of.” 

Harley’s eyebrows furrowed, “ _Things?_ You sound like a criminal.” 

Pam shrugged, reaching out to grab her lipstick, “Maybe I am.” 

This was already turning out to be exhausting for Harley. After three years of not seeing her Pamela had turned into an enigma. It was unsettling and brought last night’s redness to Harley’s skin. 

“Pam. Come on.” Harley’s voice bordered on frustrated, as she watched the woman before her apply her darker red lipstick over her lips like she was coating a canvas. 

Pam relented when she was no longer looking Harley’s way, “I had to come back because I had nowhere else to go…” She screwed the lipstick tube back into itself and set it down on the counter. She then focused her efforts on finding her lighter green eye shadow in her small bag that was on the counter. 

Harley was silent, hoping that Pam would eventually catch on that she wanted her to continue talking. Pam did catch on but she did not continue. 

“Pam… are you okay?” Harley’s hand came to rest on her shoulder, the first touch that wasn’t laced with an ulterior motive. 

“Yes, Harleen dear, I’m okay,” Pam said coldly, yet shrugged off the touch to her shoulder like it had scorched her skin. Even though the touch was rejected, Harley’s stare still burnt into her side. 

“Okay, fine. Something happened down there… and I couldn’t escape it or save myself so I... ended up back here.” Pamela was now roughly rubbing her eyeshadow brush in the pigmented powder. It was as if she thought the powder would rub away the unnecessary conversation between the two.

Harley’s face softened, knowing what Pamela was doing. When they were in college Pam would always busy herself during tough conversations. Harleen hypothesised that she did it so that her body had no way to register the full weight of the issue. 

“...So… You’re not okay…” Harley deduced, coming to lean against the counter right next to Pamela. 

After three years of changes and awakenings, there was a semblance of Pamela beneath the exterior. Her small mannerisms, the way her lip would twitch, the quirk of an eyebrow. 

Pam’s voice was frail for the first time, only by just a semitone, but still frail. “I guess not.” 

Honesty. For the first time in three years, there was a rough, tortured seed of honesty growing. 

“Where have you been staying?” 

“Here… there… everywhere. And anywhere that won’t keep badgering me about the rent until they’re forced to evict me.” Pam chuckled as she played with the mascara tube, plunging it in and out slowly. It was something Harley would’ve done, and every new addition to Pam’s personality kept knocking her off guard. 

“I want you to come stay with me.” 

The sentence was blurted out of Harley’s mouth and she nearly clasped her hand over her own lips. Pamela’s eyes widened in the mirror, looking at Harley’s reflection with an absolute guffaw. Her eyebrows were crinkling together and Harley would have had a brief flashback to where Pamela looked at her with the same expression. She _would_ have, if she were not too busy mirroring the image on herself. 

“Harley… I don’t think that’s a good idea…” Pam said, cautiously placing her makeup back in her bag. 

“Yeah I don’t think it is either but I’ve never had amazing ideas and it’s better than you staying in a cardboard box.” Harley kept on speaking on her heart’s accord, something she was still undecided about being good or bad. 

“I don’t live in a box, Harls. I’m fine here. You don’t have to play the whole hospitality act just because you feel bad for me and because we used to be friends… you already gave money yesterday. I’m not going to become your charity case.” 

_Used to be._ Yeah. There’s that painful reminder. It stung Harley a little, it kind of stung a lot actually. But Pam had no regrets in saying it. 

Pam came from a wealthy background and Harley wondered for how long she had been financially unstable. Clearly it was long enough for her to make a name for herself in Doc’s club, get evicted from several places and become nonchalant to the fact that she could not have a permanent, fancy home. 

The sting took a minute for the venom to take its full effect, seeping through her body. It was expected. What did she think was going to happen? Optimistic Harleen needed to be locked in a cage. 

“Well… I’ll leave you my address… just in case…” Harley finally let the poison take her. She placed a small, handwritten note beside Pamela’s hand on the dresser. Whatever friendship or comradery there was between the two was long gone, and the droplets of it were just consumed by whatever venom Pamela had always possessed. 

She made sure to look at the redhead one last time, noticing her frame didn’t even heave with any breath before she left the club. Once Harley was in her car she made a beeline to the closest place that sold ice cream. 

***

“Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck,” Pam was staring at her phone, closing the navigation app once she was outside Harleen’s apartment. A friendly customer, who used to frequent the establishment until he found a steady girlfriend, let her in. Pam never did catch his name but his smile was friendly enough for her to not care. 

“Fuck.” She was right outside and she instantly regretted coming all this way. The door was a deep brown and she felt out of place just by being on her doorstep. She was trying to think of literally anywhere else to be but she grew self-conscious when she realised she looked very sketchy. An unknown woman holding a duffel bag and lingering by a woman’s door would surely raise a few concerns from random passerbys. 

Once her fist rapped against the wood and she sensed movement from the other side of the door, she knew that there was no going back now. Maybe a cardboard box wouldn’t be so bad. After all, you can’t have baggage with a box.

Harley greeted her with a complacent smile and a small tub of ice cream in her hand to compliment her. She was wearing an ironic t-shirt, ironically, and no pants with her hair in a chaotic bun. The shirt was grey with black text that said, _‘Pants.’_

“I knew you’d come…” Harley didn’t, actually. But she loved it when she was right and being right with Pam came with few and far moments between. 

“Shut up… Can I-” Pam was cut off by the blonde taking the duffel bag, tossing it to the couch and pulling her inside before shutting the door. 

Pam felt like a whirlwind had hit her and to top it all off, Harley chose now to engulf her in a hug. The redhead wobbled slightly at the impact of the one-handed, yet tight, hug. 

For a second, and not a moment more, Pam wanted to lean into the hug. But this was not a way to make up for past mistakes. And that hug did not cement or even spark the ignition of friendship. 

“Okay,” Pam wriggled out easily and then took a quick scan of the room. She noted the chaotic organisation of Harley’s belongings; the slightly off centre coffee table, the vase with fake flowers in it, the polaroid pictures stuck on the wall…

***

There were the last three years of Harley’s life, stuck up with double-sided tape that is definitely going to leave a mark when it’s pulled off. Pictures with people she didn’t recognise, a smile she sometimes dreamt of, pictures with Selina, pictures with a dog that matched Harley’s personality and a picture with Jack. 

They were smiling happily, during a picnic. He had his arm around her, placing a kiss on her cheek. It infuriated her since she knew Harley chose to put that picture up even after they were over. 

“What’re you staring at?” Harley asked, watching Pamela stand in front of the wall of pictures. She wasn’t sure why she asked. She knew what and why, and prepared for the harsh berating by placing her ice cream tub on the coffee table.

“Nothing…” Pamela shrugged it off and then dug in her coat pocket for a bit, then pulled a few pieces of paper. Green paper. 

“Pammy, you don’t need to pay me back for anything.” Harley pushed the hand that held the money away. 

“No I know but I’m paying you to take that fucking picture off the wall.” The redhead persisted, winking as she waved her hand forward slightly. The action was not serious but they were going to have to work on getting rid of that picture someday. If there was even a possibility of a ‘they’.

Harley’s eyes narrowed and snatched the money quickly. When Pamela’s lips quirked into a slight smile, the blonde chuckled. 

“At least you gotta’ sense of humour now.” Harley turned to take the tub to the kitchen, pulling out two bowls and two spoons. 

“Excuse me? I’ve always had a sense of humour.” Pam was bemused, a word only she would use. 

Harley laughed obnoxiously, “Ha! See, you’re funny now.” 

That earned a playful shove from the redhead, who had snuck up behind her in record-breaking speed. 

“Whatever must’ve happened to you in these three years clearly paid off.” 

Harley realised that it was a bad joke and an uncomfortable silence coated the room as Pam was handed her bowl of ice cream. 

“I should… probably change…” Pam set the bowl back on the countertop and grabbed her duffel bag as she walked to the bathroom. 

***

The painfully stretched out silence was present as they watched one of Harley’s favourite reality TV shows. Pam was now in pyjama shorts and an old college t-shirt. Harley hated herself for being slightly disappointed at the mundaneness of Pam’s sleepwear. But that kind of thinking would just perpetuate stereotypes. What kind of person would-

“You know, these three years?” Pam interrupted Harley’s train of self-loathing. Thank God.   
She perked up.

“Yeah… they’ve been kinda’ horrible.” 

Nevermind. Harley instantly _felt_ horrible for making a joke about it earlier. 

“I’m sorry Pamela…” 

“Sometimes I regret leaving,” Pam blurted it out and she busied herself with trying to scoop the remainder of the chocolate sauce. “I mean, I grew a lot, learnt a lot… did a lot. But I still had a pretty shitty time.” 

“I wish you never left.” If it was time for honesty and making up, Harley would love to get it out the way. 

“I mean, I didn’t really have a choice.” 

“What?” Harley turned, facing Pam with her full body. 

“Yeah well, you weren’t listening to me and-” 

“Oh my God, why can’t you _ever_ take the blame for once?” 

“Why can’t you ever listen to me for once?” 

“You’re so fucking infuriating.” Harley got off the couch, walking away to the kitchen. 

“ _I’m_ the infuriating one?” Pam followed

“Yes! I gave you money, I invited you into my home because I felt bad for you and _this_ is how you treat me? After all these years, I had to heal from you leaving and breaking my heart-”

“You think you’re the only one who got hurt?” Pam raised her voice slightly and it sent chills down Harley’s spine. 

Harley bit her lip, tears welling up in her eyes slightly. Her throat felt tight and her head throbbed. She moved towards her bedroom, saying nothing. It all felt too familiar.

“Harley?” Pam was worried that there was no quip or snarky comment. 

“There’som’ blankets under the coffee table…” The sound of the door hitting its frame richotted through the entirety of Harley’s apartment

“Fuck.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> was this good? idek. i wrote this when i was losing my mind from sleep deprivation. but i had a good time and i hope y'all are enjoying this so far. and for those of you who are asking about the M rating and the sexc times: don't worry I gotcha :)  
> dont forget to give some kudos for some validation and to comment if you're really feeling like inflating my ego <333


	3. isn't it just so pretty to think?

_Three Years Ago_

Harleen and Pamela were close enough to know each other inside out, close enough to figure out a problem before it even presented itself. Something about them was, in lack of better terms, magical. Harley joked about them being soulmates, that she should date Pamela instead. Pamela joked about it too. The jokes were so abundant and free that sometimes even Jack would worry about whether Harley was truly his.

The answer was no. 

“He treats you like he’s your property, Harley.” 

Pam was sitting on the edge of Harleen’s bed, watching the blonde pace around the room and pick clothing from her dressing drawer to pack into the laid out suitcase. She was readying herself to travel on vacation with Jack for the next week or so.

“No, he doesn’t,” Harley replied, as she flopped a t-shirt into her suitcase. Pamela fished it out and folded it appropriately before putting it back in.

“I didn’t like his tone with you that day,” Pamela was not going to relent because something about Jack did not sit right with her. 

“What tone and what day, Pammy?” Harley was at her dresser again, rolling her eyes as she was fishing out some more jeans. 

“Two days ago when we were gonna’ go out drinking and he just straight up declined _for you._ I’m sorry but that’s controlling Harley. Since when have you ever declined going out? He just waved his hand and you let him decide for you.”

Harley stayed at the dresser and dropped the pair of jeans she was holding as she turned around to face Pamela’s unimpressed face. 

“He was tired that day and I kinda’ was too. I go out with you guys all the time.” Her tone was bordering on annoyed.

“First of all, if _you_ were tired, it would be _your_ prerogative to say so.” Pam’s arms were crossed over her chest now, “and secondly, you don’t go out with us _all the time_ anymore because you’re always with him. He just tells you that so you can spend more time with him.” 

“You’re acting insane now.” Harley walked her way to her nightstand and pulled the drawer open. 

“Am I? Or am I right? You’re a psychologist, Harley. Shouldn’t you know about codependency? And abusive relationships?” 

“Pamela Isley, are you calling my relationship abusive?” 

“I am because it is! Selina thinks so too.” 

“Then why hasn’t she told me herself? Isn’t it _her prerogative_ to do so?” Harley snarked back. She was a hair’s breadth away from losing it. 

“God, why can’t you see it, Harley?!” Pamela was standing now, and Harley had officially lost it when she heard the redhead raise her voice.

“Why can’t you just let me be happy?!” 

_“You aren’t happy with him!_ How can you be happy with a guy who treats you like that?!” 

Harley scoffed, throwing the bra she was holding towards the bed with force, “I know what this is Pamela…” Pam’s eyebrows furrowed as the blonde stalked towards her. 

“You’re jealous.” 

“Excuse me?” 

“You’re jealous because I chose him over you.” 

_Ouch._

For the briefest moment, Pam’s eyes flickered with a combination of different fires. She remembered the times where Harley's mouth was on her neck and her fingers were scraping the expanse of Harley’s ass. It was nothing more than a simple hook up, involving two drunk best friends. At least the first time it was. The second time it just… happened. Harley and Pam were both sober and it was rough, needy and so, _so_ good. Hot images of Pam pinned against Harley’s sheets, a weekend when Jay was nowhere near them, flashed across her mind.

Pam worried the inside of her cheek, guiltily recognising the feeling of jealousy in her gut. 

But that wasn't what this was about. That was just Harley planting ideas in her head, trying to turn the situation onto its head. 

“I'm trying to help you here. You're my best friend-” 

“Then as my best friend, you should know when you're being fucking wrong.” 

“Harley, what?!” Pam’s face was becoming red too now, and Harley’s complexion matched Pam's hair. 

“Get out.” 

“Harl-” 

“Get. The Fuck. Out.” Harley’s voice was nearly at a point of boiling. 

“I can't fucking believe you.” Pam sighed, willing her eyes not to tear up. Every single syllable hurt.

“Leave, Pamela.” Harley’s expression was stern and vexed.

Pamela would never forget the concrete feel of Harley’s stare and Harley would never forget the dispirited gleam in Pamela’s. 

Begrudgingly, Pamela walked out the room opting to not say anything to the blonde. She wished she could’ve prepared to say her last words to Harley. She wished she would’ve heard something different instead of Harley telling her to leave. There were so many wishes that were never granted and in their place was a series of misfortune and regretful actions. It was what they thought to be the end of their journey that turned out to only be the start of a journey through hell to get to their respective heavens. 

***  
 _Three Years Later_

Pamela had stayed with Harley for two days. On the second night of her stay, Selina had called Harley to ask how it was all going and was also hoping to speak to the aloof redhead. 

Alas, Pam was working that night, and although there were prominences where they could both see that their friendship was not completely dismantled, there were times where the distance between the two of them was icy and razor-sharp.

The evening that Selina called, Pam was still working her shift at the club. Harley was thankful that she wouldn’t need to navigate the fluctuating relationship for a little while and just enjoy some catching up with her best friend. The one that didn’t leave her.

“Where’s she? Is she there?” Selina’s screen took a while to resolve itself as Harley watched her peer around. 

“Nope. She’s… at work.” 

“Oh, yeah I forgot about that.” Selina adjusted her laptop and then peered at the blonde on the other side. She seemed to be aloof, barely present. 

“What's wrong, Harl?” 

“Nothing’s-No, nothing is wrong.” Harleen stammered, shaking her head slightly from the daze she was in. 

“Clearly there is… it’s been five seconds and you haven't even started bitching about the new, hot redhead living with you.” Selina joked and then winked. 

Harley groaned slightly as her eyes rolled at the brunette, “Haha, very funny.” 

“But, seriously, how are things going? She’s only been there for a day right?” 

“Yeah… she’s kinda’ icy. And yesterday… we kinda’ got into a little argument and we haven't spoken all day.” Harley let her face sink slightly.

“It’s like… no matter what I try. She doesn't want to let me in. Or maybe I don’t wanna’ let her in… I don't know. It’s just weird.” 

“Harley, I’m gonna’ be honest with you…” 

“Gee, I wonder what _that_ will be like.” Harley chuckled slightly to deflect the wave of anxiety that flew through her. 

“Pamela has never been an open book. Remember how long it took for her to be comfortable with both of us? She’s naturally reserved and icy.” 

Harley giggled at the memory of Pam being awkward in their first stages of friendship, “Yeah… sorry, I guess you’re right.” 

“Plus the built-up anger would be kinda’ hot for you.” 

_“Selina!”_

***

It was as if Harley somehow disrupted every aspect of Pam’s developing life all at once. First, she appeared at her club and then she just _had_ to be the saving grace and offer Pam a place to stay for the time being. It was absurd. It threw her off at work. It threw her off of everything. 

“What the hell, Ivy?” Doc slammed her door against its frame and the room vibrated slightly.   
“Sorry, Doc. Just not feeling myself today.” Pam was rubbing her face with both hands, fighting the urge to yell out into them. Whoever was playing Jenga with her life better stop. 

“You don’t _have time_ to not be yourself! You’re the reason why most of these people are here and they’re expecting you to-” 

“Yes. I know, I know. I’ll be right out.” Pamela cut him off, quickly grabbing her lipstick tube to reapply it. The red lip really added a different element to her. 

_Five Years Ago_

“I told you this colour would look great on ya’!”

Pam was laying down and Harley was in her lap, leaning over her face as she applied her lipstick. Pam could feel some of Harley’s warm breath coat her cheek and could smell the cotton candy perfume. 

“Have a look,” A small mirror was shoved in front of her face, and she was greeted with the sight of her done up. She could see that her face was a little smoother and more matte. Her eyes, that were watering slightly, were even more noticeable as the winged liner framed them. The red lipstick added more lusciousness to her already plump lips. She never really wore red lipstick before. 

“What d’ya think?” Harley moved the mirror away and an even better face greeted her. She was smiling proudly and her eyes, with their never-ending sparkle, perked up. Harley wasn’t even wearing makeup. Pam didn’t mind being in this exact position for some more time. A moment of silence passed before Pam replied. 

“Beautiful.” She said, more of a commentary on the paler woman above her than her reflection. It was almost a whisper, so soft and warm that it could’ve brushed against Harley’s skin and she would’ve felt nothing. 

The blonde, who had her legs on either side of Pam’s thighs, raised herself and placed both her hands above her red-haired head. She was smiling, big, bright and beautiful.

“See! I told you that you would look good in red lipstick. Whoever told you it makes you look like a whore, can go fuck themselves. You look so hot.” She seemed unaware of her actions and their impact in Pam’s underwear. And if she was aware, then god damn, she was smoother than her skin. Her thigh skin to precise. The bare thigh skin that was rubbing itself against Pam’s legs.

Pam swallowed and then said, “I guess they were wrong… and you were right. It looks better on you though.” 

She felt a flush of red filter through her face as Harley leaned in and their noses were millimetres apart. 

“Lemme’ see.” 

Harley’s lips were so warm, almost boiling. They almost deflated her lungs when they made contact with Pam’s. A million thoughts ran through her head, yet they all halted when they felt Harley’s hands thread through her burning auburn hair. She chose to lose herself in the millions of thoughts, all singing her name with every breath.

Harley was so unbelievably good at kissing that it took her a while to register that pale hands were now resting on her hips. She felt Harley grind against her groin slightly and she blushed as a small squeak ripped itself out from her mouth into Harley’s. 

The blonde pulled away, peering down into Pam’s eyes. Her lips were now slightly red with small smudges on the side.

“See?” She placed her finger on her chin, tapping it twice. “It looks _better_ on you.” 

When Pamela woke up the next morning, she found red lipstick stains on her neck, her jaw, her chest and between her thighs. It was then that she realised that red lipstick was her colour. 

***

_Five Years Later_

The aroma of carbohydrates filtered through the apartment when Pamela walked through the front door. She spotted Harley in the kitchen, bopping softly to upbeat music as she stirred the pot of macaroni. Pamela would've chuckled if she had a good day. Well, night. It was ten pm. 

“Oh hey!” Harley turned around to find Pam slugging in with a deadpan expression on her face. 

“I'm makin’ some mac and cheese. I thought you'd be home a little late so I pushed dinner back a little.” 

Pam walked to the kitchen, she was wearing her work heels and a pale pink t-shirt paired with leather pants. The contrast of the colour of her shirt and her stretched out pants made Harley gulp slightly. 

Pam thought the sentiment was sickeningly sweet. So sweet that it went down her throat and lodged itself in her trachea and she wanted to hack it up. So sweet that it gave her goosebumps. 

“Something wrong?” Harley had a concerned look on her face as she peered over at Pamela from over her shoulder. It was then that Pamela realised that she was staring and she nearly physically shook her head free of Harley’s hospitality. 

“Sorry…” She walked away and on her way to the bathroom, Harley looked back at her again, noticing the droop in her frame. 

She knew better than to pester Pamela, especially the new Pamela, but her curiosity would eventually get the better of her.

She went back to stirring the macaroni and silently bobbing her head to the music. 

A few minutes of harmless frolicking in the kitchen had passed by, filled with slightly hip movements and extravagant gestures when she felt a taller presence behind her. Harley jumped slightly at the sudden lack of distance between the two of them. 

“Oh… hello,” Harley squeaked out, awkwardly. 

She noticed a small smirk on Pamela’s face, probably from the way she startled Harley. 

“Need some help?” She also noticed that Pamela was wearing a robe, the same one she wore the night they met in her dressing room. Harley’s eyes wanted to linger longer and her mind wanted to wander off into the possibility that she was clad in the same lack of attire. 

“N-No. I’m all good here. You can get out some plates though.” Harley bounced back, quickly turning to the pot to do anything other than face Pamela. 

She heard Pamela clank around, retrieving the plates and placing them on the counter. 

“Are you avoiding me, Quinzel?” Pamela asked, leaning against the counter. 

“What?!” Harley answered almost too quickly, “No. I’m just… tending to the… pasta.”   
_Okay,_ maybe she was, but she definitely wasn’t going to admit it. 

“Good… ‘cause I have to talk to you about something,” Pamela said, placing two hands on Harley’s shoulders to move her aside. Harley wanted to object but she felt like a chess piece in the hands of the taller woman. 

The redhead began to dish out the macaroni onto the plates, “I appreciate all that you’ve done for me…” 

_Ah._ So Pamela was just busying herself with dishing out the pasta in order to not look Harley in the eye. The question from earlier should’ve been directed at _her._

“And… for what it’s worth. I’m glad you’re safe now. I would tell you that I was right all along, but it’s been too long for me to act like I wasn’t the only bad guy.” Pamela finished serving both the plates and handed one to Harley. 

It made her slightly anxious when Harley just stood there silently, with a plate of steaming macaroni and cheese. It filled her to the brim with uneasiness when a few moments had passed and the only thing Harley did was blink. 

“Harl?” 

Harley was not the silent type and she wasn’t even the whispering type. 

“Did I do something wrong?” Pamela worried her lower lip and if only she knew how unhelpful that action for Harley.

Pam sighed and took her plate as she walked ashamedly towards the couch. 

“No, Pam. Wait.” Harley grabbed her arm, which caused the macaroni to spill over onto Pam’s shirt. 

Pamela stood there, still as a prickly cactus, and peered down at her shirt. Something about the cheese on her shirt and Harley’s grip on her arm sparked something within her.

“Oh my God, I’m so sorry. Let me get you a towel or something I-” 

Harley’s frantic scramble was interrupted by Pamela’s hand on her arm. The hand pulled her closer so that they were closer than ever, their noses nearly touching. 

Harley’s breath caught in her throat and she tried her best to control her breathing as she was engulfed by Pamela’s forest fire eyes. She was so taken aback and so caught off guard that she didn’t notice Pamela tipping her plate onto Harley’s shirt. 

She only noticed when she felt a warm sensation against her top and she yelped out in surprise. 

“Pam! What the fuck?” 

“Whoops,” Pam smirked, “I didn’t see you there.” Gone was the woman who was worriedly biting her lip moments ago. In her place was a succubus, preying upon Harley in her unguarded state. 

“You did that on purpose.” Harley’s voice was low and cunning, matching her narrowed eyes. 

“Maybe I did.” 

The world around them could be engulfed in flames but they would have never noticed. Their gazes captivated both of them equally. It was something entirely new and fresh. 

“I should get this shirt off…” Pamela said, retracting slightly and placing the plate atop the counter. Her hands came up to the hem of her shirt, as she pulled it over her head. 

Harley let out an audible breath when Pamela’s midriff was revealed to her. She was wearing a normal, pink bra. It wasn't the same as it was that night, she wasn't dressed to impress or seduced. She was slightly sticky with macaroni sauce and she had her red lipstick on. And Harley swore that she felt her body shake slightly. 

“Your turn,” Pamela said huskily, tossing her shirt to the side. There was something that reminded her of Pam, the feral look in her eye. The carnivorous, ravishing Poison Ivy probably drew her power from this Pam. 

Harley obliged, taking her shirt off self consciously and throwing it to the side. The sound of fabric hitting the floor brought Pamela closer to Harley and she took advantage of her taller state.

“Maybe we should get… cleaned up…” Harley said, closing the distance between them. All either of them had to do was just connect. 

Pam was the one who took it upon herself to kiss Harley. She captured and coaxed Harley in and out of the all-consuming passion. Hands found Pam’s back and the redhead groaned when she felt the light scrape of nails against her shoulder blades. Three years of absence and hatred.

When Harley whimpered, on account of Pam’s hands fisting their way through her hair, it sent a hot flash down Pam’s spine and it rippled to her abdomen. 

Harley was the first to pull away, watching how Pam breathed heavily, how her eyes were blown wide and high and how her lips were slightly more puffed. 

“Are you sure?” Harley’s voice was small and delicate and it made Pamela melt. But she did not want to melt at that moment. She wanted to scorch and burn.

“Let’s go to your bedroom.” It was an ardent command. 

Harley had no time to question it since all her body wanted to do was obey Pamela’s every single order. She walked away, looking over her shoulder to see Pam following her down the narrow passageway. 

When they had reached her bedroom, Harley instinctively sat down on the edge of her bed. Her arms came to support her on either side, which caused the cleavage peeking out from her red bra to greet Pamela’s sultry eyes. 

Pamela knew that this may all be very overwhelming for Harley. To try to figure out Pamela after years of not seeing her. Seeing her in a new light, sexy and seductive, was still taking some time on her part. She figured it would be best to acquaint her with the new and improved Pamela Isley through a new, exhilarating experience. 

So, Pam closed the bedroom door and began to peel off the rest of her clothes, while Harley’s eyes were locked on her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tehehehe, anyone up for some smut?


	4. time, curious time

Pam sauntered over to Harley’s lap. It reminded the blonde of the night they had only a few days ago. And that was what was concerning to Harley. Everything about Pam’s energy was the same and the only thing she was missing was a red light on her body. 

“Pam?” Harley was being straddled by the redhead, watching her grind in her lap for a little bit. When Pam heard her name being called she stopped, still looking at the blonde with hunger in her eyes but with a thin layer of delicacy over them. A sign that she was listening. 

“Are you sure you wanna’ do this again?” Harley’s hospitality and kindness knew no bounds and it was starting to nauseate Pamela, much like the night at the club. 

“Yes. I am,” Pamela said, pushing her generous chest against Harley’s as she leaned in closer, “Are you?” 

“Yes… ” she breathed out heavily, feeling her mouth become dry. 

“Good…” Pamela’s index finger came up to graze Harleen’s lips, stopping to slightly press down harder on her bottom lip. “‘Cause I want you.” 

Pam encapsulated Harley’s lips once more and Harley’s pale hands found their way back to her back. For a few moments, Harley was lost in a dense forest of Pamela, twisting and turning in a hot frenzy to reach the oasis. Pamela kept up with her, teasing her tongue in and around her mouth, never letting Harley truly quench her thirst. 

Harley groaned into her mouth, scratching down the redhead’s back lightly. In reciprocation, Pam ground harder on Harley’s lap with both of them letting out a small pant against each other at the friction. Pamela smiled against Harley and nipped at her bottom lip, running her tongue over it coaxingly. Then she pulled away. 

“Watch me,” she whispered, as she drifted backwards to a standing position. She sprung back up, keeping her eyes connected to Harley’s blue. Harley had no choice but to watch. Something about her was so captivating and titillating. Everything about her, actually. 

Pamela bent down, clad in only her undergarments, and stroked her hands up from Harley’s calf to her upper thigh. She made a move to ghost her thumb against Harley’s centre and was delighted by the small gasp that was emitted. Harley’s stomach muscles flexed under her fingertips and Pamela let out a small groan, taking a moment to appreciate Harley’s tone. 

“I remember this…” she reminisced in the feel of Harley’s abdomen, wrapping her hands around her waist. “I remember this too…” Her fingers ghosted over a tattoo on her hip, a dolphin jumping over a rainbow. It was something so cliche, yet something that was _so_ Harley. 

“Pammy?” Harley spoke up, looking deep into Pamela. “Take off my bra.” 

A small flame engulfed Pamela’s eyes and she bit her lip to contain her excitement, which Harley thought was quite endearing. 

Carefully, Pamela’s hands slid their way behind Harley’s back. She let her fingers rest over the clasp for a minute, looking into the paler woman’s eyes. Something so much more was present, and that was different from three years ago. The yearning eventually let her unclasp Harley’s bra and she quickly threw it to the side. 

“Kiss me now, you know how I like it.” Harley whispered, taking Pamela’s face in her hands. 

Inside, the redhead was battling over the decision to be alluring and sexy or to just give into Harley and everything that she was. 

She spotted the smudge lines of red lipstick on Harley’s lips, and moved her thumb to press against it. She pulled Harley’s face to her own, allowing the angle to delve into Harley once more. Her fingers moved to scratch behind Harley’s neck, a move that she remembered from years ago. She chuckled against the blonde when she felt a sliver of a groan. 

Harley then began her own mission. She was always unpredictable but lately, she had been slacking in that department. So to counteract the seemingly new, unpredictable Pamela, she flipped them over. Pamela’s legs were on either side of Harley’s and it would only take a single gyration for her to _feel_ their shared want for each other. So Harley relented, diving down to worship Pam’s jawline while only letting her abdomen rest lightly.

Pam whimpered when she felt Harleen’s hot tongue against her jaw bone, bucking her hips up slightly. She nearly lost her resolve and strayed from her mission and no one could blame her for that, except herself.

“Harley,” she growled, immediately tossing them until Harley’s back hit the cold blankets beneath them. She moved to pin Harley’s hands above her head, looking into her surprised blue eyes with a satisfied grin. 

“Pammy…” Harley’s tone was not something Pam was expecting, and she nearly retreated. The blonde had a concerned, heartfelt look on her face that should not match with the current situation. She expected her to be fiery, to be willing to engage in a battle, but instead the blonde almost looked...anxious. 

“What’s wrong?” Pam pulled away, letting Harley’s hands free and sitting up on her lap. 

In retaliation to her being free, Harley propped herself up on her elbows. 

“You don’t have to do it like this…” 

The expression that smacked itself across Pam’s face was adorable, with her eyebrows furrowed together and the space between them slightly creased, she looked to Harley for the answer. It brought out a giggle from Harley which eased her nerves slightly. 

“I mean… you don’t have to _perform_ for me…” Harley’s hands stroked comfortingly up her side, absently feeling Pam’s curves and edges. The touch and Harley’s calming voice brought them back to Earth, with their worldly problems looming over them. 

“What do you mean?” Pamela looked slightly hurt and she was getting ready to pack up her things as quickly as possible and run away. Since she was sleeping on Harley’s couch it would be fairly easy to access her things right away, she could throw on any shirt and be gone in less than five minutes. Harley noticed her panic.

“No, no,” her grip on Pamela’s hip hardened slightly, smiling sympathetically. 

“I just can’t tell whether you like being this... new, sexually empowered person… Not that I’m not enjoying it…” Harley said quickly and then chuckled, “God I love it.”   
Pam, for the first time, didn’t snark back and smiled earnestly, “Good… because I owe you a birthday present.” She leant down once again, capturing Harley’s lips feverishly and unabashedly. This time it was much more than ferocious, it was understanding, yearning. Comforting, almost. 

“Keep these here,” Pamela said, moving Harley’s hands above her head once again. This time, Harley obeyed, watching the redhead work her newfound magic. 

Pam returned to her quest, kissing the crook of Harley’s neck sensually and hungrily, grinding into her. When Harley stifled a moan, she made sure to brush her teeth harshly against the column of her neck. 

She moved her way down, nipping at Harley’s collarbone before coming to her breasts. She pulled away slightly to look up at the blonde, whose eyes were wrought closed. 

“Look at me.” She commanded and Harleen obeyed. Her tongue began to swirl lightly around the darkened, sensitive skin. From her position on Harley’s chest she could see a gentle rise and fall due to her ministrations and when she looked at Harley's face, she could see her letting out small breaths from a relaxed and open mouth. 

When she experimentally ran her tongue across the hardened nipple, she felt a slight push from under her. Harley’s lips twitched as she let out a sigh at the temporary drop of pleasure. 

Pam worked her way through to getting Harley to let out small, barely audible groans… and it drove her crazy. She wanted to devour her, have her screaming her name, but patience would pay off in a time like this. Patience would make the sounds Harley would later emit, louder, sinful, musical and desperate. 

Harley tried to stay true to her commitment, keeping her hands above her head without any physical restraint. However, it proved to be tenuous when she felt another hand sneak up to toy with her other breast, and Pam’s groin sunk into hers with a burning pressure. She moaned softly at the contact, willing her hands to stay where they were and not run themselves through Pam’s hair. Down Pam’s back. Down to her underwear where she could tease her mercilessly until she was a shaking mess for her. But patience would do her good too. She would await her turn while Pamela wruck havoc on her nerve endings.

Satisfied with how alive and pronounced Harley’s nipples were, Pam finally began to pull off Harley’s shorts and underwear, making sure to run her nails against her thighs. 

Harley was almost _too_ ready for her. Once the offending garment was off her body, she spread her legs, biting her lip slightly. Pamela could see the wetness from her core and how her hips were slowly and quietly moving upwards, begging for attention, the dolphin on Harley’s side moving with it.  
Her hands moved outwards to hold down the dolphin and her hips then stalked back up towards Harley’s face. She placed her index finger under her jaw, moving it upwards so that Harley’s jawbone shone proudly. 

“I want you to do something before I give you what you desperately need,” Pam’s voice was villainously low and it sent shivers down to Harley's legs. 

Blue eyes took a second to refocus on Pam before Harley swallowed. 

“I want you to make noise for me, I don’t want you to hold back. I want to hear you scream as I fuck you hard into these sheets, okay Harleen?” Pamela said, pulling down at the blonde’s lower lip with her thumb. 

Harley’s face lit up in a cloud of red once again, except with the absence of anger. She nodded, completely captivated by the redhead perched on her lap, holding her existence in the palm of her hand like it was nothing. Nothing else could've interrupted her pounding heart, not the past, not the sound of honking cars passing the apartment. Nothing, except Pam’s hands. The hands that travelled to her breasts once again, squeezing gratefully. They made their journey to her thighs, pulling her legs up so that they were wrapped around Pam’s waist. Harley whimpered, feeling the clothed wet area of Pam move against her folds. Then, suddenly, Pam whipped her head back to her. 

“I want you to beg. Beg for me, then maybe I’ll fuck you.” Pam said, nearly growling as she ground harder against Harley.

Harley moaned and pulsed in response. After a while, Pam moved harder against her causing another whimper to erupt from her. Then it clicked. 

“Please…” Harley said softly, looking to Pam for support. 

“Please what?” Pam asked, capturing Harley’s lips within hers and then grinding into her once again. This time it was painfully longer and Harley could feel the pressure build up on her clit.

“Please… Please just….” Harley said desperately against her lips. She couldn't finish her plea because Pamela was _still_ pressing into her, moving her hips slowly to produce minimal friction for Harley. 

“Do you need me to help you with your request baby?” 

_Oh God._

That's when Harley lost it. 

She gave into the forces that were greater than her self control and moved her hands away from above her head. She cupped the redhead’s face in here, “Pam you better fuck me right now or I will do it myself.” 

That took Pam back, back to when Harley knew more about who they were than she did. So, in order to restore balance, Pam grabbed her hands and pushed them back above her head. 

“I told you to keep these here…” Pam said slowly, purring like a jungle cat. 

“Birthday girl or not, you're gonna’ have to obey by the rules. You did this to yourself.” Pam said, roughly pressing into Harley with all her might. The unsuspected action caused Harley to moan in surprise, adding fuel to the fire. 

“F-fuck. I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Harley said quickly, wriggling underneath her, “Please Pam, please.” Harley said desperately, begging for any kind of pleasure. 

“Okay, flower… I got you.” Pam then winked and crawled until her face was between Harley’s legs. She noticed the flex in Harley’s thigh muscles when she breathed over Harley’s mound. 

To quieten the impatient woman she licked a long way from Harley’s entrance to her bundle of nerves. When she reached her clit, Harley moaned outwards, bucking her hips. Pam pulled away. 

“Keep still.” Pam commanded from Harley’s cleft. An almost evil smile spread across her face when she lowered herself back to the glistening mess. She licked her clit into her mouth, applying a slight suction with her lips and moving her tongue against her naughtily. 

Harley tried her best to not move like Pamela said. She tried her best to not move her hands like Pamela said. Her eyes were screwed shut and her stomach flexed as Pamela worked her slowly with her tongue. She whimpered when she felt her speed up against her, and she couldn’t not move. She began to jut her hips against Pam’s mouth, savouring every stroke she could feel against her. 

“Fuck-” Harley’s arms gave up once again, except this time one of them snaked down to hide her face in the crook of her elbow as she turned to the side. Her moans and cries were slightly muffled by her skin. 

“Mmm,” Pamela could sense the beginnings of Harley’s orgasm, just from a few moments of her being in between her legs. It made her feel elated and full of pride. She detached herself from Harley’s clit and brought herself up between Harley’s legs, leaving a hand to wander down the milky flesh of her thighs. 

Harley was panting and flushed when their faces met, she was slightly disappointed when Pamela stopped but that despair was short lived since she felt Pamela’s fingers against her clit. 

“You’re so desperate for my touch, Harleen.” Pamela said, watching the blonde open her mouth to let out a groan. She moved to kiss down Harley’s jaw, rubbing a little harder and faster and she listened to the language of Harley’s desperation in her ear. 

“Please Pam… I’m so fucking close.” She was panting, grinding towards Pam’s hands without any shame, serving her own pleasure. 

“So needy, little flower,” Pam remarked, biting Harley’s earlobe lightly. “But I’ll help you out.” 

Pamela continued to rub against her clit harder and more determined. Her other free hand came up to hold down Harley’s hands above her head. 

“Oh my God… Like that! Just like that!” It didn’t take long for Harley to come explosively for her. Pamela couldn’t help the moan that freed itself from her throat when she heard Harley’s orgasmic cries were against her ear, filling it with rich and pleasurable sounds. She felt her buck uncontrollably and stiffen beneath her, and as an act of grounding, she spoke words of encouragement into Harley’s neck. 

“That’s it, baby come for me. You look so beautiful when you come… That’s it… let go for me, baby.” She was unsure if Harley was able to hear her praise, but she didn’t care. But Harley did. And it made the high so much sweeter. 

Harley laid beneath her, panting, with closed eyes as she tried to reconnect with the world. She was definitely spent from the orgasm she just had, the orgasm that she didn’t know she needed. In her slightly dreamy state she wondered if she could bottle Pam’s scent in a bottle to sniff any time she needed.

“Did you enjoy that, pretty thing?” Pam asked sweetly, stroking her fingers through Harley’s hair. 

“Jesus…” Harley chuckled. 

Pam did not remove herself from Harley’s lap, she sat there perched like an eagle waiting to swoop downwards. She had enough mercy to let Harley catch her breath first, smiling cunningly as the blonde beneath her focused on her. 

She began to take off her bra, unhooking the clasp quickly and throwing it to the side. Harley immediately perked up, eyes shining. 

“You’re so gorgeous when you come…” she said, nearly at a whisper. Her hands took it upon themselves to roam her body, kneading and massaging her own breasts and nipples.   
Harley propped herself up on her elbows, watching Pamela explore her own body. She felt so incredibly lucky to witness such an act. It felt unreal to see the Pam she once knew to be shy and reserved, be so confident in herself. She was roaming every inch like she knew it so well and bathed in her own beauty. 

Pamela began to rub her clothed, but damp centre, on her thigh softly, “I want you to feel me, Harley.” The added tension of her name being uttered as Pam ground her pussy against her fired Harley up once again. 

She felt like she had a hard substance in her mouth as her hand ventured forth, being taken by Pam and guided to the smooth skin of her abdomen. Her fingers lingered on the waistband, tickling the skin slightly which made Pam jerk forward. 

“You don’t get to tease me,” Pam sternly, taking Harley’s hand and easing it into her underwear. 

Harley couldn’t help the moan that came out when she felt the wetness that Pam was harbouring all this time, she could feel the soaked fabric more thoroughly now. 

“Touch me, baby. I wanna’ ride your hand.” Pam tried to keep her commanding facade on but it started to crack when she felt Harley’s fingers move against her nub. She whimpered softly at the first gentle touches, parting her lips as she guided Harley’s hand to rub harder. 

Harley wanted to rip off the soaked underwear, but Pam was already enjoying herself, not seeming to care about the restriction. 

“God, like that Harley,” Pam began to rock rhythmically against her, and she was amazed at how controlled she was, considering the pressure Harley was applying to her clit. She would soon lose control though, giving into the undeniable need for satisfaction.

“Take this fucking thing off,” Harley said frustratedly trying to angle her hand further. Pam then moved clumsily, leaning against Harley for support while the blonde took off her underwear and discarded it. 

When she returned to her position, Harley immediately started to feel around Pam’s entrance, stroking the beginnings of the wet mess. Pam whimpered and she dug her nails into Harley’s shoulders when she felt a finger slowly move itself in. A slow, steady rhythm began and she writhed against it.

“ _Ah._ ” Pam started to feel an overwhelming pleasure course through her, starting from her stomach and spreading through to her head. 

Harley noticed and stroked Pam’s clit with her thumb, maintaining a constant pressure with her fingers. She made sure to watch Pam when she threw her head back and cried out, consuming the sight like it was a delicacy.   
“Nearly there baby, I’m gonna come.” Pam panted out, riding her hand recklessly. 

When her climax arrived, it arrived with gusto and grip. She shook and muffled a half-scream as Harley put a supportive hand on her back to aid her through the waves. 

“Oh shit…” Pam panted and then chuckled, slinking off of Harley’s lap to flop on her bed. 

Harley laughed when she saw the mess that was Pam’s hair, a result of the sex crazed frenzy they were in. Pam laughed at Harley who had a very obviously flushed face and puffed out lips. Laughing after sex was an underrated feeling, they both concured. 

They were both sweaty and hot, but very much contempt. Three years did not seem that long anymore, the gap seemed to even be closing. Maybe healing would come sooner than they expected it to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> btw. it was pretty cold when I wrote this and when I started writing the smut i felt so hot that I started sweating lmao.   
> i tried my best to make this as mouth-watering and coochie falling out as i could, iso i hope yall enjoyed it. and btw we're just gonna pretend that I didn't forget about Pam's robe in the last chapter...  
> i added another chapter, idk if you noticed, i think that's pretty sexy of me.


	5. cutting me open

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> omg hi i havent updated in a while... uni has been so chaotic so I'm really glad i had a chance to upload this in between the chaos. i hope yall are okay and coping <33  
> i thought of making doc a bad guy but he's a literal ray of sunshine how could i do that?  
> i tried to proofread this real quick so I'm sorry if there's some mistakes, I'll try to see if i can fix them later.  
> (also if you've been wondering what's happening with lemongrass and sleep , do not worry i haven't forgotten about it and IT WILL be completed :) it's just taking me some time, so in the mean time, i hope you enjoy this chapter of invisible string <333

Pam woke up first, she was used to it. After having her fair share of awkward mornings with women she barely knew, she had trained her body to not be too comfortable in a foreign environment so as not to overstay her nightly welcome. 

She immediately sprung up, a little too violently, which caused the woman beside her to stir. She breathed out in slight relief when she saw that it was Harley. Not that it made the situation any better, in fact, it added a heap of further complications, but at least she wouldn’t have to sneak out in yesterday’s clothes. 

She wasn’t sure how she was going to navigate this. Last night was fun, and her legs still felt the effects of a blissful time, but she had let her body get ahead of itself. Giving in to impulses and desires was something that she was still getting accustomed to. 

Harley was gracious enough to let her stay at her apartment, and now that they had enjoyed each other physically, she wasn’t sure if she was still going to be welcome. The night before had solved nothing, it was nothing but a release, a frenzied way of satisfying each other’s needs. 

Pam quickly slinked out from under the covers, nude and quickly looking for her abandoned clothes. She figured her robe would still be somewhere near the kitchen along with her shirt and her pants somewhere near Harley’s bedroom door. 

“Pam?” Harley was watching her tiptoe towards the door, with squinted eyes and a bed head. 

Pam turned around with a slight cringe on her face, “Oh, hey. Good morning. I didn’t mean to wake you.” She made no effort to hide her body, but she made no effort to be confident in it either. 

“You look pretty…” Harley mumbled, closing her eyes again and letting her head drop to her pillow. 

Pamela chuckled, knowing that Harley was still not one to be an early riser. When they were younger, Pam would annoy the blonde by opening the curtains allowing the morning light to sear into Harley’s face and tickle her until she woke up. She was almost tempted to fall back into the old habit, but even after a night of thoroughly enjoying each other, she didn’t think it would’ve been the same. 

She turned away slowly, opening the door and leaving Harley to continue her slumber. 

***  
_Three Years Ago_  
Harleen let the wound simmer for the night, avoiding looking at her phone at all costs. Jack would pick her up in the morning and they would be on their way to a surprise destination. Pamela didn’t know what she was talking about and was insufferable. 

In the morning she checked her phone and saw no notifications from Pam, let alone apologies. She scoffed, throwing the phone aside and headed to the bathroom to shower for the day. 

Later on, when she was zipping up her suitcase she still found no messages or calls from the redhead that stormed out of her apartment the night before. 

Eventually, Jack had arrived, pulling her into the week’s events, mostly (but not completely) forgetting about Pamela. 

***

Eight days of sunny beaches, sticky ice cream fingers and romantic picnics had passed without so much as a thought from Pam. They had had their small spats before, but eight days was the longest they had ever gone without talking. 

She arrived back home without telling Jack any of the events that had transpired a week before, she knew he would react badly and feel horrible about how her friends perceive him. She never wanted Jack to feel bad about anything.

She shivered at the feeling of his thin lips against her cheek before she clicked the call button of Pam’s contact. Her phone was cold against her face but the icy ringing and then the even further frozen voicemail made her cheeks heat up. She didn’t leave a message since she figured the stony silence was a good enough message. 

“Puddin’, I’m just gonna’ go and see Pam.” She wasn’t lying to him completely, she _was_ going to see Pam but the premise wasn’t friendly. It might be even worse than the night before she left. She kissed him goodbye and headed out the door. 

On her drive to Pam’s place, she couldn’t help but grow increasingly worried about her redheaded best friend. Pam would’ve never left an argument to be drawn out for this long, she was too logical, and although she was headstrong, she had a soft spot for Harley. And Harley returned the soft spot for her. 

Harley’s heart was on fire when Pam didn’t answer her call or texts when she was outside. She was a walking anxiety attack when she furiously pounded on the door and found no hint of sound or movement from the other side. 

“Pamela, please?!” She weakly called out, letting her hand rest against the door for a few seconds. The wood was cold and the coat of varnish felt only slightly smooth under her nails. 

“Pam, I’m so sorry for what I said, it was a dick move. Please just… just let me in and we can talk this through.” 

No response. Not even the wind seemed to pick up. 

“Pam what the fuck, you can’t just ignore me like this!” Her fist collided with the door to produce a hollow bang and still, followed by an almighty silence. 

“I swear to fucking God if you’re dead in there-” Harley’s hands were twisting at the doorknob and her breath was taken directly out of her mouth when the door swung open. 

A shudder left her body and she felt her skin go cold. 

Everything that was Pam’s was gone. The apartment that once held photos, plants, carpets, and throw pillows, was now an eerie space. 

The light was filtering itself in through the windows, illuminating and carrying some of the dust that started to move around from Harley opening the door. _She’s been gone for some time._

Harley quickly ran to check the other rooms, the bathroom, Pam’s bedroom and found nothing but more empty walls and spaces. The smell of Pam was nowhere to be found and hardwood floors looked dull without the green touches of her best friend. 

Of course, as anyone would, Harley would have to assume the worst. She wasn’t aware of what ‘the worst’ was exactly, but it was still very fucking bad. 

She called Pam again, standing in the middle of the apartment, holding onto the wall with what little strength she had. 

“Pam, call me. I don’t know what’s going on, where are you? Why is your apartment empty?” 

“Pam, please pick up your fucking phone please oh my God.” 

“Pamela Isley please you’re my fucking best friend and I’m so worried right now, please pick up your motherfucking phone you stupid bitch.” 

Harley’s voicemails grew in desperation, insults and sobs. Her body sank to the floor as she held herself against the wall and cried. She couldn’t manage a clear path through the fog that overtook her brain and she ended up blaming herself for everything at every dead end that she met. 

“Sweetie, are you doing alright?” A dark-haired woman was peering in through the door, holding the doorknob in her hand. She looked undeniably sweet and caring, and beautiful. She was dressed in a brown suit with a white blouse underneath and looked very professional. 

“Please, you have to help me. I don’t know what’s going on, but…” Harley paused her frantic plea to push herself off the floor, “but my friend, she lives here and now all of her stuff is gone…” 

The raven-haired woman looked sympathetically towards the girl and made her way into the room, making sure to close the door. 

“I’m afraid your friend moved out, about a week ago…” she revealed, slowly. 

“What?” Harley could only manage to babble out a few words between her sniffling and shaking. 

“I’m Diana. I’m in charge of real estate for this building… She moved out and cancelled her lease about a week ago. She was pretty eager and impatient to get going.” 

Harley felt nauseous. She felt so unbelievably sick that she was sure she was about to pass out. That was also when the pain decided to hit her. 

“She’s gone? Did she say anything about where she was going? Or why?” Harley was aware that she sounded pathetic and helpless. Her best friend had moved out, the day after they had fought over Jack and wasn’t returning any of her calls. She was asking a woman, whom she just met, whether her best friend left any hints that she hated her. 

“I’m sorry. She didn’t… she sounded like she was moving far away. I’m not sure where... She was quite cold too.” Diana paused for a moment looking at Harley’s phone that was clasped in her hand, then something clicked. 

“Sweetheart, I’m so sorry…” 

“N-no it’s okay. It’s fine. Thank you. Thank you for telling me.” Harley did her best to hold back her feelings but doing that was the equivalent of placing clear cellophane over an open window. 

“Did she say why?” The tears struggled to run her face as she wiped at her face. 

“No, no. She didn’t. She just really wanted to be gone as quickly as possible. Admittedly, it was weird to see such a young woman so... hardened.” 

“Fuck…” Harley muttered under her breath. None of it made sense. It was a senseless sort of pain that ran through her body and it nearly immobilised her. Nearly. 

She moved outwards, turning the doorknob once again to get herself out, sniffing as she did so.

“Thank you… Diana… was it?” 

“No problem, sugar. I really hope you find your friend. I know love when I see it.” 

_Yeah. Love._

***

 _The Present_

Harley loved to sleep. She loved it so much that she did not care who or what lay beyond it. Much like other humans her age, she loved to sleep in and she never regretted it, not once.  
Except for that day. 

When Harley awoke, feeling slightly sore and rested, she stretched herself out only to find that she was alone. That would usually be considered normal, but it took a second to alarm her because the woman whom she had mindblowing sex with last night had disappeared from her apartment. 

Her bags were gone, not even one undergarment was left of her. Harley ran around her apartment frantically, hoping that she was just unaware that maybe Pam was hidden away in the bathroom or kitchen. To her unluckiness, she found nothing. 

She raced back to her room, grabbing her phone that laid dormant on her night dresser. As she typed in Pamela’s name, she felt bile rising in her throat at the horrid memories surfing to the surface once more. Memories of a gradual sob fest to Pamela’s old number, memories of trying to report her disappearance to the police and being met with rejection. The screaming matches with Jack, him telling her to let Pam go. Eventually, after being worn down to the rough edges of her bone, she did. 

“Hello?” 

The lilac, alluring and deeper voice filtered from the other side of the phone, tickling her earlobe slightly. Admittedly, it jarred her slightly. 

With a dry throat, Harley responded, “Hello.” 

“Harley, what do you want? I’m at the club right now.” Pam said quickly, with no shift from her usual tone of voice; no hint that she had repeated what she did three years ago. No hint of animosity towards her, aside from the slightly annoyed tone because Harley probably interrupted Pamela during one of her shifts. 

“Oh..okay...Yeah, um, sorry.” Harley felt a coolness setting over her body and learnt that she broke out into a sweat. She rubbed her forehead slightly as she continued to speak. 

“Wait… You’re at the club at like nine am? Who goes to a strip club at nine?” 

Pam chuckled from the other side of the line, “Yeah...But you’d be pleasantly surprised.” 

“More surprised than I was at four pm?” her eyebrow quirked up and Pamela could practically hear it. 

“Yes. Much more.” Harley could hear Pamela’s edgy smirk too. 

“I’m actually not here for my shift. I came to get my paycheck from Doc.” 

“Oh okay… well I noticed your stuff was gone so I got worried.” 

“Harley…” Pam’s tone changed, in the utterance of her name the blonde detected remorse. 

“I’m really grateful for everything that you’ve done for me. Having a familiar face that gave me a place to stay was a gracious gift that I didn’t know I needed.” 

“What’re you saying?” Harley’s eyebrows nearly screwed themselves together from the way they furrowed.

“I’m saying that I'm thankful for your hospitality.” 

“But you… you’re… leaving?” Harley stared stupidly at her bra from yesterday, that laid on the floor. The garment was almost mocking her, snarking in derision. 

“I don’t wanna’ overstay my welcome.” 

“Dude, come on. You’re always welcome.” 

“Even after what I did?” 

Harley took a moment to clear her throat and swallow some of the dryness down her throat. 

“Yes.”

“I’m sorry if I scared you-”

“Oh, you did. You definitely did.” Harley’s turn to strike ricocheted back to her. 

“And I’m sorry but I refuse to live off of another person, especially someone that I shared estranged history with.” 

“What the fuck do you mean by estranged? Last night is a clear indication that we are _estranged._ ”

Pam sighed in frustration at the other end of the line, “Bye Harley. Thank you for everything.” 

If Harley’s phone didn’t cost an extreme amount of money, she would’ve thrown it at the floor and cursed. 

***

“Sounds like you got quite the effect on that lady that came by the other day,” Doc was pouring both of them a small drink in his office. When Pam had taken the call in the hallway, he did nothing to help himself against the urge of placing his ear against the doorframe. 

“I know I work for you, but you really have got to stop lurking on me.” 

“What’re you gonna’ do, report me?” Doc chuckled, the wrinkles in his face chuckling with him. 

“Yeah, I might just walk up to a cop and tell him about your little side business,” Pam smirked, raising her eyebrow as she took a sip of her drink. 

“Please, the only way you’ll be that close to a cop is if he’s going to strip afterwards.” 

When Pam met Doc, she was desperate but still maintained and even gained a little bit of her charm. She had just moved back to Gotham, desperate for any way to make money. Doc was always warm and charming, and their banter lifted her spirits on some of her worst days. In a way, Doc was the Taiwanese grandpa that she never had the pleasure of having. 

“Why are you running from her?” 

Pamela shrugged, looking somewhat distantly at the little bobblehead of a baseball player on his desk. When she first saw his office, she was surprised at how soft and innocent it was, considering the business that he dealt with. 

“We have some history.” 

“Doesn’t history imply that it is in the past?” 

“Yeah but even then… it was still one of the stupidest things I’ve ever done… and I hurt a person I care about...”  
“If you care about her then why leave again?” The perks of having Doc in her life were subtle jokes between the two of them, a strange paternal presence that she had missed out on due to her family and sometimes, if she was good, a hot meal with extra chilli. However, there came a price to this bond. Namely, his unwarranted advice. 

“Perhaps you are stupid-” 

“I said the action was stupid, not me.” Pam narrowed her eyes sternly at the older man’s growing grin. 

“Like I was saying, perhaps the _action was stupid_ and perhaps there is hurt there, but if she is willing to care about you and look past that, despite what you put her through, maybe it is a sign from the universe.” 

“The universe does not control me. I control me.” 

Doc sighed, leaning back into his chair. The buttons of his shirt strained slightly due to his slight beer belly and the light situated on the roof shone proudly off his shiny forehead. 

“In Chinese culture, there is such a thing as a red string of fate. I was never one for believing in such things, but when I met my wife… I started to believe that it was true.” Doc took a moment to rest his eyes against his wedding ring. His wife had passed away years ago, and he swore to never take it off. 

“Well then… aren’t you going to explain what this religious analogy is?” 

“The string is said to be tied around a finger of one person on one end and the finger of another person on the other end. That other person is your soulmate. No matter how far away you are, or how tangled and knotted the string might be, the string… the bond… it is unbreakable.” 

“So you believe that Harley is my soulmate?” Pam would have scoffed, but for some reason, her heart started pattered within her chest. 

“I do not know much about this Harley… but I do know that the string will always lead you back to each other, it will always connect you. No matter how hard you try to bend and twist and stretch, it will never break.” 

Pam nodded, pondering the implications of the word. _Soulmate._

She didn’t know about her soulmate. But she did know that Harley made her feel good, undeniably so and in many ways. And the blonde _did_ have remaining compassion for her to stay at her place for a few days. Oh, and also sleep with her. A rather magnificent sleep if she might add.  
“Whatever you decide, Pamela, I respect. But ask yourself why the universe plucked you out and put you back here.” 

“It didn’t pluck me, it threw me. The universe isn’t someone who I wanna ask questions about.” 

“Then why don’t you ask yourself why you called her back there, why you accepted the money, why you decided to stay with her?” Doc was persistent. 

“Just give me my fucking cut,” Pam said saltily, standing up from her chair quickly. The empty glass rocked slightly as she set it on his desk. 

The older man sighed before he rummaged through his draws to pick out an envelope. It was slightly thicker than usual, a sign of his empathetic nature. 

“History serves us well, it shows us that some events should not be repeated Pamela,” he said, handing the bountiful paper to the redhead. 

“Have a nice day, Doc,” Pamela said, walking out the door. She did her best to ignore the last words that Doc threw at her, she acted as if they had bounced back. Realistically, they had wedged a hole in her chest, one that needed to be filled by something. The entire story of the invisible string made a neatly rounded and seeping hole inside of her, actually. 

_Pamela… don’t you dare…_ she whispered to herself as she left.

***

Harley had given up. Extending herself towards Pam was clearly a mistake. So she made her way to work, silently carrying on with her tasks. She was angry, yes. She understood that she had better things to do other than mope over the absence of the forest smelling redhead, like tending to her current patient. However, as tightly welded together as she presented herself she could not help but feel an overwhelming sense of annoyance and aloofness. 

“I’m so sorry, Anna, can you repeat that for me?” Harleen said, snapping herself out of her cottonlike daze. 

The brunette in her seat shifted slightly and raised her eyebrows awkwardly. She was a sweet patient, who had been referred to Harley after she had attempted to take her own life about a year ago. She’s only been seeing her for a while but Harley suspected that Ana’s husband was the cause for her attempt, because of what Anna had told her, Jeff sounded like a manipulative, abusive man. 

Anna, however, was a picture of the perfect, middle-aged, white housewife, who loved her children and was constantly involved in her community. 

“Oh, that’s no problem. Well, I just said that this week has been impossible because Michale has this career’s day at school where parents come in to tell the kids all about their profession and he is just… he doesn’t want to do that. Not even for our son. Do you know how happy he gets when he sees his father?” 

Harley smiled tightly and sympathetically, nodding as she scribbled a few notes down. 

“Do you think Michael has distanced himself since your attempt? And perhaps maybe that’s why he has taken more of a liking towards Jeff?” 

Anna’s eyes searched her palms for a second, pondering, “I guess… I’ve been trying to make both of them happy. Jeff could not be more of an absent father right now, but I hate getting into it with him. I just want him to be there for Michael, is that so hard?” 

“It is not, but Anna, why won’t you ‘get into it’ as you put it?” Harley pressed her index finger against the bridge of her glasses. 

“Well… Jeff just does not understand sometimes. He doesn’t really try to anymore either.” 

Harleen breathed out and placed her pen down, before clasping one of her hands in the other, “Anna, I used to be in a very toxic, abusive relationship.” 

Anna’s eyes widened, like a saint with sympathy, “Oh, I’m so sorry Harleen I didn’t know.” 

Harley waved her apology off, not dismissing Anna’s sweet nature, “It’s alright. But it did take me a long time to realise that I was in one in the first place. I lost a lot of… things along the way.” 

“What are you saying, Doctor?” Harley noticed the brunette trembling slightly. 

“I’m saying… that perhaps you should look into why you stay with Jeff, besides Michael. Does Jeff _actually_ make you happy like you used to be? Does he make you feel good? Do you really think it would be best for you if you’d stay?” 

There was a moment of silence from Anna now and a glossy look appeared over her eyes, “Michael needs his dad.” 

Harleen nodded, “Or does Michael want a dad that actually gives a shit about him?” 

Perhaps that was harsh, but Anna needed harsh for her to see. 

Harleen reached out to place a comforting hand over Anna’s arm that was resting on her desk after she noticed the brunette beginning to tear up.  
“Anna, do you have any other friends or relatives who you could talk to? Maybe you could stay with them-” 

“I will do nothing of the sort.” Anna stood up quickly, a wind produced from the velocity of her chair moving back. “I’m sorry, Doctor, I realised I need to pick up Michael from school.” 

Harleen sighed, letting her tongue press against the side of her upper teeth as she watched the brunette scurry away like a rat exposed to poison. 

“Well she’s not the first woman to run away from me today…” the blonde mumbled to herself.


	6. then healing me fine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay if you've gotten through most of this story without listening to invisible string by taylor swift then i suggest you do so real quick, so that this chapter (and also the overall story) makes a bit more sense to you. i hope you like this <3

_3 years ago_

“Pamela, I think you’re interesting. And I think you’ll be a valuable asset to this institution.” 

Pamela’s green eyes lit up, followed by an uncontrollable smile. 

“Really? Are you saying I got the job?!” 

Professor Woodrue smiled warmly and pushed a thin pile of papers towards the eager redhead. 

A squeal left the redhead’s mouth, it was a thing that she immediately became embarrassed about but once Woodrue looked towards her with a slight gleam in his eye she knew her overt happiness was warranted. 

When she left Gotham, she left with little to no care of who she left behind. Her parents, for all she knew, could be dead. Harley and Selina are probably worried sick about where she has been. 

But Gotham was eating her alive. It was like a disease, and it was impossible to love Gotham. The only person who _actually_ liked living in Gotham was Harley. But Harley was Harley, she wouldn’t expect anything less. She _couldn’t_ expect anything less, not after she realised that Harley was too far gone. Too far in love. With Gotham.... Yeah. Just Gotham. She had to leave it all behind, she had to move on. 

A compilation of impulsive, out of the ordinary decisions led Pamela to where she was at that moment. After fighting with Harley and realising that Gotham isn’t good for anyone that dislikes vacuums, she found herself booking a plane ticket to Metropolis. She found herself deleting Harley’s number, selling her furniture and putting her apartment up for sale again. There was nothing to keep her there, nothing pulling at her fingers so that she would cancel her flight with one click.  
Soon enough, she was in a hotel room, searching for a reasonably priced apartment. After her successful interview with one Professor Woodrue, the head of one of the most successful biochemical programmes at MU. Her new life would be wonderful and rigid and calm, no chaos. No blonde with blue and pink streaks nagging at her insides like a parasite.Just herself, her reasonably priced apartment, and the empty, but comfortable, silence. 

That would only last for a while. A very, very short and breath-taking while. 

After the Professor had revealed his true nature to her and skirted his hand along her thigh, she had enough. Thinking that the university would be on her side was a careless and enraging mistake on her part. Thinking that she would be able to bounce back was even more of a grave mistake. She was ready, but her newly acquainted world was not ready for her. Whispers and averted gazes followed her everywhere she went. Her lab, which carried the normal hubbub while they worked, was deathly silent. Very uncomfortably so.

Woodrue hadn’t been seen for a few weeks, and just when the fuss and collection of under the breath rumours seemed to simmer down, he returned. 

As joyful as ever. 

Pamela, being ever the subtlest woman she is, felt sick to her stomach immediately. Something about the gleam in his eye, the swing in his step, and her shrinkage into the corner made her feel faint. 

As she abandoned the lab, sending a few pens and harmless, empty vials to the floor, she found herself outside of a building that she had passed every day but never chose to inspect. 

She placed her sweating hand against the cool brick. She was not one to cry, but on that day Pamela wept. It was a miracle that no one heard her choking into her own hand and nearly falling to the floor from the heaving sobs. 

The things were weighing down on her, crushing her ribs so that they formed a cavity. Woodrue’s attempt, the university not believing her, her peers not believing her, sometimes _she, herself_ would question the events and wonder if she was just paranoid, too antsy. It made her nauseous, and even more sweaty. Her lab coat was sticking to her body when she ripped it off and haphazardly threw it to the side. 

Her breathing had calmed down, and she took a moment to register where she was. 

She was sitting in a bent heap, in front of the psychology department. 

“Of course,” she chuckled, wiping at her nose with her hand. 

“Always there to mock me somehow…” she smiled sadly, glancing to the floor in front of her. She envisioned Harley running to her, pulling her up onto her feet and taking her out for ice cream before sitting on the bench to just talk about things that sucked and things that deserved to be sucked. 

She had not thought of the blonde for a while. Only in passing, where small things would ignite a memory within her and Pamela would immediately toss it away to set fire to something else or it would be extinguished. This time, she let it burn deep and sore in the open cavity of her chest. 

***

She knew Woodrue would attack her at the only spot of stability that she knew. Her job. Her passion. 

So, in another whirlwind of impulsive, out of the ordinary decisions Pamela packed up what little of a life she had started in Metropolis and left. Begrudgingly, with her tail tucked in between her legs. 

Again she sat, on her flight back, wondering how Gotham’s influence had filtered itself all the way to Metropolis. Wondering how much her life would be worth now. Wondering how much she had just fucked up. How much Woodrue was gloating in his office right now.

***

She met Doc through, not surprisingly, a series of unfortunate events. She was on the last bit of the money that she had left since arriving in Gotham. And she was pouring it down her throat in the form of burning, bitter but soothing liquid. 

“Hello, lady in red!” A dirty, blond man slurred his speech as he attempted to saunter over to her, but he failed. 

She paid no mind to him and kept drinking while staring forward, watching the lights from the club dance against the bar walls. 

“Is somebody not gonna’ talk to me?” He came closer, and his breath reeked of mouthwash over a poorly brushed mouth. 

She placed her drink down angrily, not caring for the little splash of liquid that sprinkled on her hand. When she turned her head to face him, her green eyes shot flames into his, nearly scorching his demeanour. 

“I don’t want to talk to anyone.” She said it plain and simple. 

“Oh come on, you can talk to me.” Yet he did not listen. 

“Oh I’m making a conscious choice right now to engage with you as little as possible,” she turned back to staring at the wall, taking another glorious but painful sip of the blue-tinted glass. 

“...Fucking bitch…” Oh, if only men would listen. If only he would’ve listened when she said no, if only he left her alone. If only Woodrue hadn’t decided to show his disgusting face again. If only he hadn’t crossed the boundary of their professional lives. 

Her mind was running along with ‘if only’s’ before the blond man was wincing in pain as his face was being held against the counter, and his arm was being twisted behind his back. 

“Little boys like you deserve to be neutered.” 

If it wasn’t for Doc breaking them apart, she would’ve been responsible for killing a man. If it wasn’t for Doc, she would’ve been alcoholic and probably would’ve died of alcohol poisoning in her motel room. If it wasn’t for Doc, she wouldn’t have met Harley again. 

She was grateful for Doc of course but more grateful to herself for finally snapping. She finally found a new weapon against the world. The weapon which was pointed at her a few weeks ago in Metropolis. While Pamela was a talented and intelligent biochemist, she certainly believes that Poison Ivy was one of her greatest accomplishments.

***

“It’s just like her to vanish honestly… she’s made a reputation of it now,” Selina said from the other side of the phone. 

“I thought you were all about giving Pam a chance?” 

“I’m allowed to critique her chance, now aren’t I?” 

Harleen had called Selina after work and had been venting for the last ten minutes about Pam’s recent departure. 

Selina, being the attentive yet patient listener, chimed in where she needed to and let Harley babble for the rest of the call. 

The blonde was on her way to open her fridge and fish out some more ice cream when a knock at the door came, which froze her in her place. Spoon in hand, and fridge door open she turned her head towards her phone.

Selina and Harley were both silent, with the brunette nodding slightly. They both knew what this meant and Harley even felt tempted to say “Speak of the devil.” 

But she would never. 

Quickly, throwing her spoon to the side with a loud _clang,_ she moved to cut the call with Selina before she could even say goodbye. 

She knew who it was, and what it was about, and of course, she felt apprehensive. 

Red hair and bold, green eyes dressed in a yellow summer dress greeted her. 

“Wh-” 

Harley was going to ask what, why, when, how. But she was too late, for her lips had been abruptly ambushed by Pamela who was now pushing the door closed behind her and nudging Harley towards the couch. 

“I’m sorry,” Pamela breathed out, after locking the blonde on the armrest of the couch. Her fingers were placed gently on her waist like they were made of glass.

Harley was dazed and it took a while for her to find her bearings. 

“Oh?” was all she could utter, as she wiped her lip with the back of her hand. 

“Yes…” Pamela stood awkwardly, perhaps even shamefully, looking at the floor like a child who was caught stealing the family’s cookies. 

“I’m sorry about leaving… again. I just got scared.” This time, she looked up to meet Harley’s eyes. To show her that within her green orbs, she was being honest and vulnerable. 

Harley said nothing and didn’t feel like she needed to. She crossed her arms slightly, holding her left elbow in her right palm. 

“I think it’s high time I tell you what happened to me, and why I left. And maybe you could tell me why you left him… and why his picture is still up on the wall.” 

Harley chuckled at that, “I think I’d like that.” 

***

Pamela revealed all the chaos that entailed Woodrue, reasonably priced apartments and men with broken wrists. (To which Harley held her hand up for a high five, which Pamela rolled her eyes at before smacking her hand against Harleys.) (They decided that their hands felt better to be in each others’.) 

Harley had revealed that after Pam left, she started to finally pick up on the emotionally abusive and toxic signs in Jack. She found that he had quite a temper, and she left right after he had hit her.

An hour of painfully honest and heartbreaking secrets had passed when Harley made the move to kiss Pamela, sweetly and understandably. Something that communicated the next step of healing, something that brought a wave of _I’m here, finally_ and _I’m not leaving again._

“Can I ask you something?” Pamela pulled away again, wringing her wrists through her fingers nervously. Harley nodded, letting the redhead’s hand go for a minute.

“I know we’re not completely healed, and I’m pretty much a different person. And I know I hurt you really badly… but do you mind if we… if we-” 

“I don’t.” Harleen finished the question and the answer for her. 

“We can move as slow as you want to, Pammy.” 

_Pammy._

She hadn’t heard that nickname in such a long time, hadn’t heard it being said in that pitch and tone that she so liked in Harley. She tried to keep the lump in her throat from spilling, but it was too boastful, too proud. 

“Harls… thank you for not giving up on me,” she said, a single tear rolling down her face and with a deep inhale she broke out into a contagious smile, yet tearful smile. 

“Thank you for not giving up on me either, Pammie. Even if you were really close a couple’a times.” 

***

_1 week later_

Pam stretched out the next morning, letting one of her naked legs limp over the side of the bed. She felt the soreness in her body and then felt the smile on her face rise up as she recognised where it came from. 

Next to her, slightly snoring and definitely hogging the blanket was Harley. Her cute little psychotherapist. All tuckered out from last night’s events, where she showed off her not-so-rusty gymnastic skills 

When she had come back to Gotham she had no idea that the wound that she knew was bleeding fruitfully, would water the meadow that she left untamed and forgotten. Looking back, she hates each and every individual event that led them to this place, but she would never change it for a second. Sure, it could’ve done without some of the drama, a lot of it actually. But if Pam really was the intelligent woman she was, she would know that Harleen Quinzel was never drama-free. And neither was she, as she had come to learn. (She worked on loving that too.) 

She thought that she would make breakfast for both of them, she knew Harleen still loved pancakes and the most sugar-filled cereal. As she got up from the bed, disentangling herself from what was left of the sheets, she searched a few drawers at Harley’s side table. She was still growing used to Harley’s (lack of) organisation and she ended up looking through various abandoned bras and random magazines from 2016. 

She then came across something hard and wooden… and smooth. Picking it up in her hands, she thought for a moment about how if this were a cartoon, her eyes would be bouncing out of their sockets. 

It was a picture of them altogether, Selina, Pamela and Harley. They were all sitting on their blanket, while the sun shone brightly and they talked about Selina and Bruce for hours. Harley had kept it away in her drawer, tucked away only for her eyes to see. Sure, Pamela would’ve preferred to be shown off in the lounge but she understood why. Pam had cut her open and the wound was still scabbing over, untidily wrapped behind a bandage. 

She noticed one of Harley’s many bracelets in the picture, dangling off her wrist and trying desperately to appear uniform. 

It brought her back to the conversation she had with Doc at the club, and she grimaced slightly at the fact that maybe, just maybe, he was right. They were connected and interwoven with each other, and they were always going to somehow find their way back to each other. 

It brought a sure smile to Pamela, as she placed the picture back into the drawer and pushed it closed. 

***  
_3 years later_

On October 24th 2020, Harleen Frances Quinzel and Pamela Lillian Isley had tied the knot. Their wedding rings were both gold, each with a small ivy leaf and a diamond on them. One single thread of gold, tying them together for eternity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope the ending isn't coming across as too abrupt because it isn't supposed to be. (it's a whole movie in my head lmao) i wrote this all like rn and proofread it at the same time (it's 5 am)  
> my first completed fanfic <3  
> Now wasn't that ending kinda sweet? (I hope it was) thank you for coming along with Pam and Harls on this twisted and complicated journey. I loved writing this short fic in between the chaos of this year and even though it isn't my most known fic, it certainly is one that I'm proud of.  
> I still have other fics though! lemongrass and sleep will be updated soon and when i finish that I also have a bly manor harlivy fic coming ;)  
> thank you for reading invisible string <33


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